Dearest Journal,

I thought I understood when Bella lived with us why she hated Witch Weekly. I understood the gossip the pages whispered of my dear cousin, and knew these rumors to be false. But still I read the magazine, enjoying what was said and keeping up with it. I did not truly understand why Bella disliked it. I can not longer enjoy that same ignorance. It is selfish and a shame that it took me this long to recognize the hurt and damage the words of such a publication could produce. Only when it directed its slanderous words at myself do I feel any real anger, rather than affecting some degree of disapproval for Bella’s sake toward Witch Weekly.

What is to make this worse is I did not even realize the hurtful words until now. The publication came out at the end of September and with depth of my feelings toward mother and my husband, I hardly had a moment to consider what I might be missing. I knew something of my actions would be highlighted, but I had hoped not to see the gossip myself. Am I foolish for thinking this?

Even worse than my ignorance on the subject of the slander against me is the claims Witch Weekly has reported. No only does it suggest such odious claims about my behavior and engagement, but it does my dear Ace no credit. If only people could see who Ace really is instead of his complete trash written among the pages of Witch Weekly. It is no wonder that nobody has written to me, in light of this I can hardly blame them for avoiding me.

I wish I could talk to someone about this though, Nora, or Helga, or Bella. But those days are gone. I can not even confide in Ace for I do not wish him to know what the publication had to say of himself. The only recourse I can think is to live our lives as happily as possible and to prove the writer of such odious material wrong.

Lucille